SURVIVORS IN SOLIDARITY: Sexual assault support group to launch April 29

Saturday

Apr 15, 2017 at 10:06 PM

Samaritan Counseling & Growth Center in collaboration with ToPrevail.org will launch a Survivors in Solidarity peer-to-peer support group for survivors of sexual abuse or assault. The group will be facilitated by Virginia Lewis, founder of ToPrevail.org.

Groups are currently being offered in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Bartlesville will be the third chapter of Survivors in Solidarity groups.

“I am excited to launch a Bartlesville chapter of Survivors in Solidarity, a peer-to-peer support group for survivors of sexual abuse,” Lewis says. “Just over a year ago, when I started ToPrevail.org, I did not know a single other survivor of sexual abuse, and today I know hundreds. There is great healing and strength in sharing your trauma with someone who knows what it’s like to go through.”

Lewis says it always seemed strange to her that there were few — if any — support groups for survivors of sexual abuse.

“After all, there are support groups for everything today! If you stub your toe in the kitchen you can probably find a support group for that,” she says. “But try finding a group for survivors of child sexual abuse. They simply do not exist. And the reason why is tied directly to the type of trauma that sexual abuse inflicts. Nearly universally, from the moment a person is victimized they are told not to tell anyone. And that if they do tell someone they will destroy their family or do great harm to the status quo. They are made to feel responsible for the crime committed upon them.”

Lewis says the secrecy is then compounded by the avalanche of emotions that come with this type of trauma, including love, hate, shame and embarrassment.

“All of this culminates into a silence that can last years, and usually decades, after the abuse actually ends,” she says. “And so what we have, statistically speaking, are literally millions of people suffering in silence with demons that either seem too old or too big to conquer. It is time to reject the self-perpetuating pain. Yes, telling someone else what happened to you can be very frightening, but what is on the other side is more than worth it.”

Anyone interested in joining the group can contact Lewis at Virginia@ToPrevail.org.

“I also want to thank the Samaritan Center for being nothing short of a blazing lighthouse in a sea of darkness,” Lewis says. “They have been fearless in bringing this topic to the forefront, and as a survivor myself, it is tremendously empowering to have someone affirm your journey to healing and provide the support to help make it happen for others as well.”

Survivors In Solidarity support group will be held the last Saturday of each month start April 29. April is Sexual Assault Awareness month. For details regarding time and location of the group meeting, contact Samaritan at 918-336-1463 or contact Lewis at her email above.

Oklahoma on verge of reform of child sexual abuse laws

House Bills 1468 and 1470 were recently passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee with a unanimous vote, sending a clear message that crimes against children are not to be tolerated, Lewis said.

These measures raise the statute of limitations to age 45 for both the criminal and civil statutes pertaining to claims of child sexual abuse, giving survivors time they need to process their unique form of trauma and still be able to seek justice. As it is now, survivors essentially have until the age of 31 in the criminal justice system and age 20 on the civil side. Research shows that most survivors don’t come forward until their early 40’s.

“I am very grateful to Senator Anthony Sykes and the Senate Judiciary Committee for their unanimous votes of support on The Hidden Predator Act,” said Virginia Lewis, Founder of ToPrevail.org “As a survivor myself, I know how difficult it can be to reveal what has happened to you. These bills will help shatter the secrecy and shame that come with this form of trauma. And once that secrecy has been destroyed, previously unknown perpetrators will be revealed, stopping them in their tracks,” she said.

I want to thank Representative Kevin McDugle for his courage in sharing his own past trauma, and by doing so, helping his fellow lawmakers to see that this type of crime can happen to anyone,” she said.

The bills now move on to a vote before the full Senate.

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